Riley burditt



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIOEt RILEY BURDITT, OF BRATTLEBORO, VERMONT, ASSIGNOR TO `TACOB ESTEY AND HARTSEL P. GREEN.

BASS-DAMPER FOR MELODEONS, &o.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 15,316, dated July 8, 1856.

T 0 @ZZ whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, RILEY BURDITT, of Brattleboro, in the county of Windham and State of Vermont, have invented a new and useful Improvement Applicable to Melodeons and other Reed Musical Instruments, which I term a Bass-Damper; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specication, in which- Figures l, and 2, are side views showing the foundation board to which the bellows of a melodeon is attached, the socket board which contains the reeds, and the swell, eX- hibiting the application of my bass damper. Fig. 3, is a back view of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding` parts in the several figures.

The bass damper consists of a flap of similar character to the swell commonly employed in melodeons, applied under or within the swell to the bass or lower octave or ectaves, so as to open with the swell, or remain closed when the swell is opened, at the pleasure of the player, serving when closed to make the lower octave or octaves soft when the upper octaves are in full force.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operat-ion.

A, is the foundation board; and B, the socket board.

O, is the swell which is closed by springs placed one at each end, to press on a pin Z9. and opened by a lever D, which is caused to bear upward against the pin by a treadle. not shown, but acting in the usual or any convenient manner.

F, is the bass damper, consisting of a flap like the common swell, hinged to the socket board, and faced with leather, and fitting to a. seat CZ, within or below the seat of the swell O, in such a manner as to close the sockets of the lower octaves or bass reeds. This damper is connected at one end by a spring e, which is weaker than the combined springs a, which close the swell, with a small elbow lever F, which works on a fulcrum pin f, and is to have an attachment of similar character to an organ stop, by pushing in, or pulling out which, it (the lever F,) may be placed in the position shown in Fig. l, or that shown in Fig. 2. In the first named position of the lever F, the spring c, acts to raise the bass damper from its seat, or open it; but in the other position of the lever, the spring acts to hold the bass damper down on its seat, or close it. Vhen the bass damper E, and swell O, are closed, the swell rests upon the bass damper, as shown in black outline in Fig. l. Then the lever F, is in the position shown in Fig, l; on the swell being opened, the bass damper opens also, as shown in red outline in Fig. l, and gives the lower octave or octaves the same strength as the upper ones. On the swell being left free to the action of the spring a, it closes, and in consequence of the springs a, being stronger than the springr e, the bass damper is closed by the pressure of the swell upon it. Vhen the lever F, is in the position shown in Fig. Q; on the swell being opened, the bass damper remains closed by the action of the spring e, and thus makes the lower octave or octaves soft, while the upper octaves are in full force.

That I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,

The bass damper E, applied under or within the swell in combination with the lever F, and spring e, on their equivalent, so that it may at the pleasure of the player, be caused to open with the swell, or remain closed, while the swell is open, substantially as herein set forth.

RILEY BURDITT.

lVitnesses:

EDwD. KIRKLAND, JOSEPH CLARK. 

